Films
/
The Exploits of Elaine (1914)
The Exploits of Elaine (1914) poster
Letterboxd

The Exploits of Elaine (1914)

Action, Crime, Mystery • 4h 40m

Directors: Louis J. Gasnier & George B. Seitz & Leopold Wharton

Cast: Pearl White, Arnold Daly, Creighton Hale, Raymond Owens, Sheldon Lewis, Edwin Arden, Leroy Baker, Bessie Wharton, Lionel Barrymore, George B. Seitz, Riley Hatch, Robin H. Townley, Floyd Buckley, M.W. Rale, Howard Cody, Paul Panzer

Letterboxd
IMDbThe Movie Database (TMDB)

Best video release

Only parts survived, available on Youtube or Grapevine DVD Pearl White: Queen of the Serials

Updated 6 months ago


About the film

Elaine Dodge is the beautiful young daughter of Taylor Dodge, president of the Consolidated Insurance Company. When Mr Dodge is murdered by a mysterious cloaked figure known only as the Clutching Hand, Elaine enlists the aid of Craig Kennedy to unmask the killer

Featured Lists
National Film Registry

Year of Induction: 1994

Featured in National Film Registry

See more →

Director: Anthony Mann

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray, Universal 2008 DVD

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

2008 Universal DVD mono

Audio Notes:

The mono on the Criterion is severely filtered resulting in it sounding incredibly muffled. It is nearly as filtered as the 2003 original Universal DVD which had extreme filtering and sounds horribly thin. The 2008 DVD remaster and original LaserDisc analog mastering are mostly left alone. The original LD master is from a worn element but otherwise sounds very natural. The 2008 DVD is the highest quality version we have without the heavy filtering and the defects of the LD master. It isn't perfect but easily the best of the main four sources by a dramatic margin. 

Additional Info:

The existing 4K SDR restoration looks excellent, but the Criterion extras are limited and disappointing. The classic Stewart interview commentary from the LD is ported over but given a new mastering. Compared to past releases it has been very slightly noise reduced.

Director: Jonathan Demme

4K · Excellent
Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray vs Criterion

Audio Notes:

Three masterings of the original Dolby Stereo SR mix exist: the original Orion video releases, the Criterion (which is from their LD) and the Arrow. All three are excellent with slight mastering differences between them. The original Orion still is probably the one with the most fidelity, the Criterion is the cleanest with a kind of warm feel to it and the Arrow has a bit of both aspects. The Arrow mastering has a tiny almost imperceptible bit of audio bleeding into the surround that isn't on the Criterion. Each has their own pluses and minuses but you can't go wrong with any of them. Whatever you do though: DO NOT WATCH WITH THE 5.1 REMIX. It is another MGM botch job that fundamentally alters the impact of many scenes. It is vastly inferior to the original mix in every way.

Additional Info:

Criterion Blu-ray has exclusive extras, Arrow UHD has the most extras of any release

Director: Richard Brooks

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Director: George B. Seitz

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Director: Elaine May

4K · Solid
Video Notes:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray > MoC > Olive Films. From nicolas:

The master is good but it’s not that big an upgrade from the Olive Films disc and Vinegar Syndrome’ encode has some blocky highlights. A shame that they didn’t hire David Mackenzie here.

Audio Notes:

Cinématographe has unnecessary noise gating not present on the previous releases.

Director: Sidney Lumet

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber US / Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K

Video Notes:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K but low pass filtered

Comparison between the 4Ks, Criterion on the AR choice

Audio Notes:

Other discs have unnecessary filtering and sound worse, the difference isn't substantial but audible

Director: Dennis Hopper

4K · Solid

Director: F. W. Murnau

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Universal release without the filtering.

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix on Universal 4K Blu-ray most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD and Universal 4K Blu-ray has additional features not found on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Upcoming Release:

4K Blu-ray said to be coming from Criterion, per Bill Hunt

Video Notes:

Includes Director's Cut and Roadshow Version

Same master as old WB Blu-ray but better encoding

More from Louis J. Gasnier

See more →

Directors: Louis J. Gasnier & Max Marcin

Best Video:

Universal Blu-ray

More from Grapevine

See more →

Director: William K.L. Dickson

Best Video:

Grapevine DVD Rip Van 1921 extras or OOP Image Entertainment DVD

Director: Frank O'Connor

Best Video:

Grapevine OOP DVD or AlphaVideo DVD

Additional Info:

UCLA has the complete 16mm safety print but no new restoration available yet

Director: Raoul Walsh

Best Video:

Grapevine OOP Blu-ray

Sources: moma.org (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

New restoration by MoMA and Film Foundation https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/11558 no release yet

Director: Clarence G. Badger

Best Video:

Grapevine DVD

Additional Info:

UCLA holds the 16mm print

Director: Maurice Tourneur

Video format: DVD

Best Video:

AlphaVideo or Kino Lorber OOP or Grapevine OOP DVD

Video Notes:

No comparison available

Directors: Thomas H. Ince & Reginald Barker & Raymond B. West

Best Video:

OOP Grapevine or AlphaVideo DVD

Director: William C. deMille

Best Video:

Grapevine Blu-ray

Sources: filmforum.org (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

New 4K restoration from original nitrate print, see film forum

Director: Sidney Olcott

Best English-Friendly:

Grapevine OOP Blu-ray

Video Notes:

No comparison available

Director: Alfred E. Green

Best Video:

Grapevine OOP Blu-ray

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best Video:

OOP Grapevine Blu-ray

Edit history

1 edit

Researched and maintained by

vanshady

· last reviewed 6 months ago

Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.